Estimated reading time: 14–16 minutes

Therapy does not always move forward in a straight line. Even the most motivated clients can find themselves stuck—circling the same issues, repeating familiar insights, or feeling emotionally unmoved despite “doing everything right.” These stalled moments are not signs of failure. In fact, they often signal something important: ambivalence.

From the perspective of TEAM-CBT, resistance is not something to overcome or eliminate. It is something to understand, respect, and work with skillfully. When therapy slows down, TEAM-CBT offers a structured, compassionate way to uncover what is getting in the way—and to help clients move forward without force or confrontation.

This article explores why therapy stalls, how resistance naturally arises, and how TEAM-CBT transforms stuck points into opportunities for meaningful change.

What You Will Learn

• Why resistance and ambivalence are normal parts of the change process

• How traditional approaches can unintentionally intensify resistance

• The TEAM-CBT philosophy of honoring resistance rather than fighting it

• How the “Testing” and “Empathy” components reveal hidden barriers to change

• Practical TEAM-CBT tools that help clients move forward at their own pace

• Why motivation often emerges after resistance is understood

When Progress Slows: Understanding Therapy Stalls

Many people enter therapy with clear goals: reduce anxiety, feel less depressed, communicate better, or stop self-defeating behaviors. Early sessions often bring insight and relief. But then, something shifts. Homework goes undone. Sessions feel repetitive. Emotional breakthroughs stall.

This experience is surprisingly common. Therapy stalls usually arise not because clients lack willpower, but because change is emotionally complex.

At the heart of most stuck points lies ambivalence:

• One part of the client wants relief and growth

• Another part fears loss, exposure, or uncertainty

TEAM-CBT treats this inner conflict not as opposition, but as valuable information.

Resistance Is Not Defiance—It’s Protection

In many therapeutic traditions, resistance has been framed as something to “work through” or gently bypass. TEAM-CBT takes a different stance.

Resistance often serves a protective function:

• Anxiety may protect against disappointment or danger

• Depression may slow a person down after prolonged stress

• Self-criticism may feel like a way to avoid complacency or failure

From this view, resistance is not irrational. It is purposeful—often shaped by past experience.

TEAM-CBT begins by asking a crucial question:
What might the problem be doing for you?

Why Pushing for Change Often Backfires

When clients feel stuck, helpers naturally want to encourage, reassure, or persuade. Unfortunately, these well-meaning responses can increase resistance.

This happens because:

• Advice can feel invalidating

• Reassurance can minimize fear

• Techniques applied too quickly can feel intrusive

TEAM-CBT explicitly avoids pushing for change before resistance is fully understood. Instead, it follows a clear sequence—reflected in its name.

The TEAM Framework: A Brief Overview

TEAM-CBT is an integrative, process-oriented approach developed by David Burns. The acronym represents four essential phases:

1. Testing – Measuring mood and therapeutic alliance every session

2. Empathy – Ensuring the client feels deeply heard and understood

3. Agenda Setting – Exploring resistance and motivation collaboratively

4. Methods – Using targeted techniques once the client is ready

When therapy stalls, the most important work happens in the Testing, Empathy, and Agenda Setting phases.

Testing: Using Feedback to Detect Stuck Points Early

Unlike many approaches, TEAM-CBT uses brief outcome and relationship measures at every session. These tools assess:

• Emotional distress

• Relationship quality

• Client satisfaction with the session

When scores plateau or worsen, the therapist does not assume client failure. Instead, stalled scores are treated as signals:

• Something important may not be addressed

• The client may feel misunderstood

• Resistance may be emerging

This data-driven approach prevents months of unrecognized stagnation.

Empathy Before Strategy: Slowing Down to Move Forward

One of the most common reasons therapy stalls is insufficient empathy—not in intention, but in depth.

TEAM-CBT emphasizes:

• Accurate reflection of feelings

• Respectful validation of fears

• Curiosity about the client’s inner logic

Clients often say things like:

• “I know what I should do, but I can’t make myself do it.”

• “Part of me wants to change, but another part doesn’t.”

Rather than challenging these statements, TEAM-CBT therapists lean in. Empathy is not a warm-up—it is an intervention.

Agenda Setting: Making Resistance Explicit

This is where TEAM-CBT diverges most clearly from traditional models.

Instead of persuading clients to change, therapists ask permission to explore why change might not be desirable.

Common questions include:

• “What are some reasons not to change?”

• “What might you lose if this problem disappeared?”

• “What fears come up when you imagine things improving?”

Clients are invited to list the benefits of staying the same. This process often brings relief. For the first time, resistance is not judged—it is honored.

The Paradox of Motivation

One of the most counterintuitive findings in TEAM-CBT is this:
Motivation increases when resistance is respected, not challenged.

When clients openly articulate their reasons for not changing, several things happen:

• Shame decreases

• Internal conflict becomes conscious

• Choice is restored

Change stops being something imposed from outside and becomes a self-directed decision.

Common Forms of Resistance in Therapy

Resistance does not always look like refusal. TEAM-CBT identifies many subtle forms, including:

• Intellectualization – Insight without emotional movement

• Over-compliance – Agreeing verbally but not changing behavior

• Hopelessness – “Nothing will help anyway”

• Perfectionism – Waiting for the “right” moment to try

Each form of resistance contains information about what the client values and fears.

Methods Come Last—and Work Better Because of It

Only after empathy and agenda setting are complete does TEAM-CBT move into active methods.

These may include:

• Cognitive restructuring

• Exposure techniques

• Behavioral activation

• Role-playing and imagery

What makes these methods effective is timing. By the time techniques are introduced:

• The client feels understood

• Resistance has been addressed openly

• Motivation is internal, not coerced

As a result, techniques feel collaborative rather than corrective.

A Clinical Example: From Stuck to Moving

Consider a client struggling with social anxiety. For months, exposure exercises are avoided. Sessions feel repetitive.

In a TEAM-CBT agenda-setting conversation, the client realizes:

• Anxiety protects against rejection

• Avoidance prevents embarrassment

• Improvement would require vulnerability

Once these fears are acknowledged without judgment, the client chooses—on their own—to experiment with small exposures.

The stall dissolves not through pressure, but through understanding.

Why TEAM-CBT Is Especially Effective With Ambivalence

TEAM-CBT is uniquely suited for stalled therapy because it:

• Normalizes resistance

• Uses real-time feedback to detect problems early

• Prioritizes alliance before technique

• Treats motivation as a collaborative process

Rather than asking, “How do we get the client to change?” TEAM-CBT asks,
“How do we help the client feel safe enough to choose change?”

Stuck Is Not the End—It’s the Doorway

Therapy stalls are not dead ends. They are moments when deeper work becomes possible.

When resistance is respected:

• Clients feel less defensive

• Insight becomes emotionally meaningful

• Change emerges naturally

TEAM-CBT reframes stagnation as a signal—not of failure, but of unfinished understanding.

Final Reflection

Resistance is not the enemy of therapy. It is the guardian of what matters most to the client.

By listening carefully, measuring consistently, and inviting honest dialogue about ambivalence, TEAM-CBT transforms stuck points into turning points.

When clients are no longer pushed toward change, they often begin to move—freely, deliberately, and with confidence.

References

• Burns, D. D. (2020). Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety.

• Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change.

• Norcross, J. C., & Wampold, B. E. (2018). Psychotherapy Relationships That Work.

• Beutler, L. E., et al. (2011). Resistance in psychotherapy: Theoretical foundations and clinical implications.

• Lambert, M. J. (2013). Outcome monitoring and feedback systems in psychotherapy.